“Unlikely Victory Secures Nepal a Spot in World Cup Qualifiers”

Nepal not only qualified for the WC qualifiers but also retained its ODI status.

Nepal secured a place in the 2023 One-day men’s World Cup qualifiers after a stunning victory against the UAE in front of a packed home crowd. Despite being set a mammoth target of 311 runs in the ICC Cricket Men’s World Cup League-2 series at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, Nepal managed to defeat the UAE by 9 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method after bad light caused the match to be abandoned. With just four wickets in hand, Nepal had to score 42 runs in the remaining 6 overs to win the match, which looked unlikely after losing two batsmen in the second over and captain Rohit Poudel in the 7th over with just 37 runs on the board.

However, opener Kushal Bhurtel and Bhim Sarki steadied the innings with a 50-run partnership, scoring half centuries each in just 38 balls. Aarif Sheikh and Gulshan Jha continued the momentum, contributing 52 and 50 runs respectively to bring Nepal closer to the UAE total. All-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee scored 10 runs in 11 balls to seal the famous victory for the country.

Earlier, the UAE had scored 310 runs in 50 overs, thanks to a record century in just 42 balls by Asif Khan, who hit 11 sixes and 4 fours to score 101 runs. Lalit Rajbansi and Dipendra Singh Aairee were the only Nepalese bowlers to end with respectable figures, with others struggling to contain the UAE batsmen.

Nepal finished third in the points table, one point ahead of Namibia, after winning 19 out of 36 matches played under League-2 involving 7 countries. In the process, Nepal not only qualified for the WC qualifiers but also retained its ODI status. Nepal will now compete with Scotland, Oman, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands for two berths to the World Cup, which will be held in India in October and November 2023.

Overall, Nepal turned its performance around since Monty Desai became the new head coach of the national men’s cricket team, winning all but one match and defeating group winners Scotland, as well as the UAE, Namibia, and Papua New Guinea in the last three tri-series held in the UAE and Nepal. The team’s stunning win against the UAE has secured their place in the qualifiers, and the country’s cricket fans are eagerly anticipating their performance in the upcoming tournament.